


Do the Stars Look Down on Us?

by EchoResonance



Series: Sheith Week 2k16 [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-24 01:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8351563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoResonance/pseuds/EchoResonance
Summary: Did Shiro regret leading Voltron? Of course not; he would never be able to turn away from people in need when he could help. But the constant throbbing in his right shoulder, the whispers of things he’d done that he couldn’t remember but couldn’t truly forget, had been a heavy price. He was missing months off of his life, months that had turned him into something that he didn’t want to see too close.~“I love you,” Keith whispered. “All of you.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sheith Week 2k16, Day One: hurt/(comfort)

Had the stars always looked so cold?

Shiro couldn’t remember. Once he had looked up to the sky and seen wonder. He’d looked up and seen a vast expanse of uncharted territory, an adventure waiting to be had, a story waiting to be told. He’d looked up and seen hope. Constellations had glittered above him and planets that hadn’t yet been discovered beckoned and dark blue velvet draped over his home like a blanket. Space had been a comfort, once. Space had been freedom.

He leaned wearily against the window frame, legs curled beneath him as he stared out at the nothingness that stretched on for eternity. It had been his dream to make it here, to explore space, find new planets and maybe even other life forms. What would aliens look like, he wondered? Surely earth couldn’t possibly be the only inhabited planet in the universe—the odds were astronomical—and so he couldn’t help but ponder. He’d been excited at the prospect of meeting new life, making connections that spanned galaxies.

Now that he’d fulfilled those goals, he didn’t question the phrase “be careful what you wish for.” Absently he lifted a hand to the spot where flesh met metal, massaging the area with a grimace. Did he regret leading Voltron? Of course not; he would never be able to turn away from people in need when he could help. But the constant throbbing in his right shoulder, the whispers of things he’d done that he couldn’t remember but couldn’t truly forget, had been a heavy price. He was missing months off of his life, months that had turned him into something that he didn’t want to see too close.

Soft footsteps drifted onto the deck, but Shiro didn’t turn to greet the newcomer. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the world he’d been so enamoured with, the world that had tried its damndest to rip everything from him. Whether out of spite or some desperate plea for an explanation, a _reason_ , Shiro kept looking. He didn’t need to see who it was, anyway. Only one person ever found him so late during their sleep cycles.

“Hey.”

A smile ghosted across Shiro’s lips.

“Hey,” he croaked. Nostalgia and silence left his throat rough.

“Can’t sleep?” Keith guessed, moving into his line of sight as he sat on the edge of the frame. He left a small space empty between their knees.

Shiro shook his head wordlessly, then reached out toward Keith with his left hand. Slim, warm fingers laced through his immediately and something in him swelled as Keith accepted his invitation to move closer. He scooted over, his smaller frame fitting into Shiro’s side like it was meant to be there. Shiro dropped his hand and slid an arm around Keith’s back, feeling the muscles contract beneath his touch as his hand came to settle on the other man’s shoulder.

A lifetime ago, he’d shared his dreams with this man, back when Keith was a fresh cadet and Shiro was top of his class. It had been easy then. Simple. Two humans sneaking out of their quarters to stargaze on the roof and trace constellations with their fingertips, point to distant places and talk about what they would find there. No blood on their hands, no lives on their shoulders, no universe depending on them.

It was one thing for Shiro to be where they were now; at least he had wanted this, wanted with all his heart to do great things for others. It hadn’t happened how he had wanted it, but in the universe’s twisted sense of irony he had nonetheless been put in a position to do just that. Keith hadn’t gone to the Garrison for the same reason. He hadn’t gone seeking glory or adventures. The Garrison had picked him up because there was nowhere else for him to go and aptitude tests taken in high school had tipped them off to incredible talent. He was an ace pilot whose only reason to fly was that it was the one thing that gave him freedom. Some cruel trick of fate had taken even that freedom from Keith and turned it into duty.

“What are you thinking about?”

Shiro looked over at Keith and found him frowning, brow creased and his lower lip jutting out. He was wearing his jeans and a t-shirt, Shiro noticed. Between the amount of time Keith spent training and what Lance called a tragic neglect of updating his wardrobe, his shirts didn’t really fit him too well anymore. They were too tight across his shoulders and and chest, but Keith insisted they were fine and that the last thing any of them should be worrying about was clothes.

It was nice that some things never changed. With a smile, Shiro leaned over and buried his nose in Keith’s hair, breathing in the scent of Altean shampoo. Keith’s breathing hitched, but he made no complaint and slid a hand around Shiro’s waist in response, his warmth burning through Shiro’s own shirt.

“You,” he said simply, lips brushing the other’s temple.

A blush dusted Keith’s cheeks when he leaned back, but the red paladin huffed and pressed his face against Shiro’s shoulder to hide it. Shiro laughed and nudged him back. Keith went reluctantly, his face set in a deep pout that was far too cute.

“Remember when we used to sneak onto the roof?” Shiro wondered, looking back to the window.

“Back at the Garrison?” Keith said. “Yeah, I remember. You said you wanted to help me study, since I sucked at astronomy.”

“You didn’t suck,” Shiro argued at once. Keith snorted derisively.

“I definitely did,” he said. “I couldn’t point out Ursa Major if my life depended on it.”

“Oh, come on, that’s—”

“Not that your _study sessions_ were all that helpful.” Said as Keith threw a sly glance his way, and Shiro’s neck grew warm.

Resolutely he cleared his throat and refused to meet Keith’s eyes, but that did nothing to make the heat in his cheeks fade. A soft chuckle accompanied the brush of fingers against his cheek. Shiro leaned into the touch, reveling in the softness from hands that so rarely had occasion to be gentle, then turned to press his lips into Keith’s bare palm.

Keith sighed serenely and let his hand fall back to Shiro’s thigh, settling his head on the man’s shoulder. Shiro smiled and pressed his cheek to Keith’s crown, thumb stroking lazy circles into his shirt. When a hand slid across his lap to curl around his right wrist, Shiro stiffened slightly but didn’t pull away. Fingers stroked along the cybernetic arm and Shiro felt their warmth as clearly as if the arm was flesh and bone, and it made him shudder.

“I love you,” Keith murmured.

His voice was soft and warm, sneaking inside Shiro through every crack and crevice to nestle in his chest like a second heart. It was the sound of home, and the feel of Keith’s fingers absently gliding across his thigh and knee was a greater anchor than any Shiro could have constructed. It bound him here, to this moment and to this person, quietly chasing away the shadows that flickered in the farthest edges of his mind.

“I love you, too,” he rasped.

He kissed the top of Keith’s head. Then his forehead. Then he pulled away from the man so that he could brush his lips across every inch of his blushing face. His nose, his eyelids, the dimples in his cheeks that were such a rare luxury to see, the corners of his smiling mouth.

“I love you,” Shiro said again.

Keith laughed and slid his arms around Shiro’s neck, pulling himself onto his lap while Shiro cradled his face in both hands. His violet gaze locked onto Shiro’s, never flicking away. Slowly, he turned into Shiro’s right hand, lips ghosting across his inhuman palm and sending flickers of electricity all through him. Shiro’s throat closed, but Keith didn’t wait for him to find his voice again before he leaned in, pressing a teasing kiss just below Shiro’s mouth.

“I love you,” he whispered. “All of you.”

Keith kissed away the tears when they came, holding Shiro close and grounding him with simple touches and quiet words. Shiro clung to him, still kissing everywhere he could reach, and allowed the warmth to consume him. With Keith in his arms, warmth enveloping him and sliding through his insides like a warm drink, Shiro couldn’t be bothered to look at the stars.

Maybe they looked cold. Maybe they were. But he had never felt warmer.


End file.
